A/N: I'll be in Florida until the beginning of July, so there won't be any updates until then. However, I'll be writing whilst on vacation, so the chapters will come flooding once I start updating. Thanks for reading! Review, if you would!
P.S. There is a big surprise in the next chapter, and I cannot wait to finish writing it!
"Hey, Pretty Boy!" Morgan's voice booms across the mostly empty bullpen. Reid had taken a longer lunch than expected, and he realized he'd have to double his pace on his paperwork. He stood by Morgan's desk, where JJ and Blake were also sitting. Reid gives a small smile.
"Uh, hey guys," he says shyly, avoiding making eye contact with Morgan. JJ raises her eyebrows.
"So, Spence, who'd you meet?" She smirks, and he blushes. JJ may not be a very experienced profiler, but she could tell Reid was different. The light in his eyes—the light destroyed when Maeve died—was back. There was no mistake: Reid met an attractive woman. Reid looks away.
"I didn't meet anyone, JJ." Reid awkwardly shuffles back to his seat, pulling the business card from his pants. He smiles, picturing the radiating redhead from the café. Bridie. Her name is Bridie. Morgan snatches the card up, laughing when Reid throws a fit to get it back. Winning the fight for the card, Morgan hands it back to Reid. He could tell Reid wanted to keep this private.
"Okay, Boy Genius, but I want to know all about her later." Morgan moves back to his seat and pulls out his paperwork. Reid gives a final smile at the card: Bridget McDuffy. He clears his mind, pulls out his last few files of paperwork, and gets down to work. The beautiful waitress stayed in his mind throughout the rest of the day.
~CM~CM~CM~CM~
Bridie sat down in the back room. She was a new waitress at the café and had started working because it was her favorite place to stop for coffee after a hard workout at the Academy. She's upset that there was so much downtime on a Monday. She hears a shuffling of footsteps and smiles when she sees her best friend join the room with her.
"So, Bridie, who was the genius kid you met today?" Francesca—known as Frankie in the restaurant—asked. She offered a cigarette to Bridie, who accepted. Bridie looked up at her blonde friend.
"His name is Spencer. He works with my dad." Frankie chokes on the smoke, taking a minute to recover. Her eyes are bugged out wide.
"That is Dr. Spencer Reid? As in the genius kid that works with your famous daddy-o?" Bridie laughs at her description of her father. It was true that her dad was well known, especially around these parts. However, Bridie didn't introduce that fact to most people she met. After all, she hadn't met her dad until she turned twenty-four years old. She had only known him for about five years.
"Yes, it is. But you can't tell him, Frankie! Promise, Frank." The blonde stares at her and laughs hard. So hard, she snorts.
"You're telling me that Bridget McDuffy is afraid to tell a genius man that he works with her father? Wow, what a puss you've become, Bridie." Bridie takes a hit off her cigarette and laughs, throwing a fake punch at Frankie.
"I know it seems like I'm being ridiculous, Frank, but he's really cute. I'd like to get close to him before I possibly work with him and before he finds out my dad is—" Bridie is cut off by the shrill ring of her phone. She's hoping it's Spencer, but she sees what the number is labeled: SSA Hotchner. Bridie holds a finger up to her mouth, shushing Frankie. She answers her phone and puts out her cigarette. "This is Bridget McDuffy speaking." Her voice automatically becomes serious.
"Miss McDuffy, I'd like to meet you in person. I've heard a lot about you already, but I need to see for myself how you will fit with this team. Can you come in tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, sir," Bridie replies, noticing the stoic tone to Aaron Hotchner's voice. "Sir, my dad won't be part of this interview, will he?" She tries to stress her concern over the phone.
"No, ma'am, he will not. The interview will strictly be between the two of us. No one besides your father even knows I'm interviewing. You're my first choice. Be here tomorrow by, say, nine?"
"Yes—" Bridie looks at her phone, seeing a familiar number. She couldn't ignore it. "I'm sorry, sir, one minute." She clicks over to the other line, a smile on her face. "Hey, Seb." Her voice is smooth and sweet. You can hear the depth and care in her voice.
"I miss you!" The voice says on the other line.
"I miss you, too, you silly boy!" Bridie smiles. "Now, you'll be with Frankie tomorrow morning, okay?" The boy's voice on the other line squeals in excitement, and Bridie looks to her friend. Frankie rolls her eyes, but she nods her head. "I have to go, Seb. I'll see you in a little while." Bridie switches back to the line with Agent Hotchner.
"So is that fine, Miss McDuffy?"
"Yes, Agent Hotchner, nine tomorrow morning will do just fine." Bridie silently thanks Frankie for the favor she's doing. "I can be there earlier, if you need me to be." She hears a shuffling on the other line.
"That would probably work best. Our media liaison just received a stack of possible cases, so the earlier tomorrow, the better."
"Yes, sir. I understand. I can be there around eight if that would be alright." She pauses to hear is answer. "Okay, great! Thank you, sir, for the opportunity!" Bridie hangs up, squealing in delight. Frankie laughs.
"Seb is not going to be happy," Frankie says. "Hell, I'm not going to be happy, driving halfway across town to drop you off and then drive all the way back here? There is no way that's gonna work, sweetheart." Bridie laughs.
"I'm driving there. I'll drop Seb off on my way over there." Bridie replies. She can't wait to meet the legendary SSA Hotchner. Or the rest of the BAU team.
~CM~CM~CM~CM~
Penelope Garcia pulls her video chat on to Reid's computer. Reid looks surprised at her, but he smiles and waves.
"I hear there is a girl in my young genius' life," she says, giving him a smirk. Reid blushes.
"Oh my goodness, can everyone butt out of my private life! Did Morgan tell you?" Garcia laughs.
"No, My Genius. JJ. Her weakness is gossip, and you know it. My Chocolate Adonis may have mentioned it took place on your way to work today. Knowing your schedule, you stopped at the café at 560 Barnett… which means it is very possible we're talking about a girl who can make coffee. And I mean diabetes coffee, just how you like it Sweet Cheeks. Oh, and I expect to meet her once you get the courage to make a move. I know that business card is just burning a hole in your pocket. Oh wait, no it's not, because it's right here in my hand." Garcia flashes the card, and Reid freaks out. Garcia laughs. "Oh, poor baby. I'm not looking her up or anything. Not unless you want me to." Reid lets off a deep sigh of relief. Garcia exits his screen, and Reid pushes his files away. He just wants his private life to stay private. He just met Bridie McDuffy, and he wanted her to like him so badly it hurt. He'd never felt this way before. Not even with Maeve. With that thought, Reid stands. He needs to find a distraction from the girl that was slowly taking over his mind.